This summer I tried out the summer version of Robot C with Teaching RobotC for Mindstorms. I downloaded the firmware to my two NXT bricks. This version was going to expire so I downloaded the most recent non-beta version planning to then purchase a license. I could not download RobotC programs to my brick using this version. I figured there must be a difference in the firmware between the two versions of RobotC so I went to download the firmware from the version I intended to purchase the license for. Anyway the NXT brick failed to boot and I entered a constant clicking mode.

It took about an hour of doing stuff---I googled and tried all sorts of variations and then suddenly I was able to download the orininal NXTG software to my brick. Alls fine with that brick---but I still have one with the summer version firmware.

Should I download NXT and then do Robot C. Do I assume the clicking state was just a fluke. Any advice would be appreciated.

Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:26 pm

vnguyen

Site Admin

Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:44 amPosts: 442Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Avoiding the dreaded clicking noise

When it was stuck in the "clicking" mode, did you try pressing and holding the reset button in the back of the NXT? That puts the NXT into "firmware download" mode and should allow ROBOTC to update the firmware. Also, you are right in assuming that the different version of ROBOTC needed different firmware.

_________________Vu NguyenSoftware Training Development Team | WebmasterNeed more support? Email ROBOTC Support at support@robotc.net to put in a support ticket

I pushed the reset button. At first I thought it was going to be a simple thing---press the reset button and then download firmware. It did not work. There are suggestions out there where you press for various lengths of time 5 -1 and remove batteries etc. Anyway I tried many of these combinations. When clicking the computer did not recognize the NXT. On one of the combinations I heard that noise when you computer recognizes something connected to the USB drive and then just a second later I heard the disconnect sound. The brick was clicking at this time. So the next time I removed the battery and then reset I quickly hit the download NXT firmware button and it worked. I felt like I had just beat the brick reentering the clicking mode---but of course I don't know.

Someone out there does claim that they sometime need to go back to the NXTg firmware before reloading RobotC firmware when they have this clicking issue.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:40 am

cindyb

Rookie

Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:14 pmPosts: 3

Re: Avoiding the dreaded clicking noise

I really needed both bricks for a class so I downloaded the NXT firmware and then the firmware for RobotC for mindstorms 2.02. Worked fine. Maybe hocus-pocus, but was unwilling to repeat a direct update of RobotC firmware.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:55 pm

l0jec

Expert

Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:59 pmPosts: 139

Re: Avoiding the dreaded clicking noise

Semi-related; when downloading the newest firmware for the FTC/Tetrix version of ROBOTC (v2.26), it ran into an error along the lines of "could not open firmware" which resulted in the NXT brick getting stuck in SAMBA mode and clicking similar to the OP. Using the reset button and attempting to re-download the firmware from the Link Setup in ROBOTC only resulted in the same error. I eventually used NXT-G to reset it to their firmware and attempted a second time through ROBOTC, but ran into the same error. Finally, I just pointed the NXT-G software to the ROBOTC firmware file and that seemed to do the trick.

One thing I noticed which may or may not be related is that with previous versions of ROBOTC, when I clicked to download firmware, it would pop up a file chooser window and I had to select the actual firmware file; I did not see that this time around.

One thing I noticed which may or may not be related is that with previous versions of ROBOTC, when I clicked to download firmware, it would pop up a file chooser window and I had to select the actual firmware file; I did not see that this time around.

You still can, but then you need to have a more advanced mode enabled and hit "download firmware->choose file"

I did not see the option even though our menu level was set to expert because we were using the "download firmware" button on the Link Setup screen rather than from the Robot menu in the tool bar. I wonder if there is a bug in the Link Setup which was attempting to automatically pick the correct firmware file for us, but was picking either some sort of null or a filename that didn't match the one on the filesystem and that is the reason for the strange error message about not being able to open the firmware?

I've had several friends who've had this.... You fix it by redownloading the NXTG firmware and then downloading the RobotC again.

Tue Aug 16, 2011 4:31 am

chrisiscool

Rookie

Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:51 pmPosts: 1

Re: Avoiding the dreaded clicking noise

thanks a lot u guys and others helped me get my robot back idc if my files are gone kuz without the nxt there useless!!!!!!!11thanka a million times u guyes rock yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa do u need help though im now using 1.29 though ya I changed a read me file so that it has the rong thing I used windowa un zip in the folder firm ware in engine in mindstorms ect

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